Today I wrote some words that will see print. Maybe they will last forever and that someone will read them there, ink making a light scratch on his mind or hers.

I think back with greater satisfaction upon a yellow bird, a gold finch that had flown into the garden shed and could not get out, battering its wings on the deceptive light of the dusty, warped, shut window.

Without much reflection for once, I stepped to where its panicked heart was making commotion, the flared wings drumming, and with clumsy, soft hands pinned it against a pane, held loosely cupped this agitated essence of the air, and through the open door released it like a self-flung ball to all that lovely, perishing outdoors.

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CIRCLE OF THE WAY

From Roshi Joan Halifax

“On the great road of buddha ancestors there is always unsurpassable practice, continuous and sustained. It forms the circle of the way and is never cut off. Between aspiration, practice, enlightenment and nirvana, there is not a moment’s gap. Continuous practice is the circle of the way. This being so, continuous practice is unstained, not forced by you or others. The power of continuous practice confirms you as well as others. It means your practice affects the entire earth and the entire sky in the ten directions. Although not noticed by others or by yourself, it is so.”Zen Master Eihei Dogen

When we were building Upaya’s temple, we named her Dokanji, Circle of the Way Temple. The name originated with Japanese Zen Master Dogen. I think it was Kaz Tanahashi who thought of using this name, or was it me, or was it all of us?

Fundamentally, the name was settled on because of dependent co-arising. Circle of the Way felt so clear to all of us because of the practice style and ethos here at Upaya. Our temple’s name, Dokanji, Circle of the Way, applies to how we endeavor to live our lives here at the Zen center. However, it’s important to note that this is our aspiration, not a description of how we already are. We aspire to realize continuous practice in an integrated, inclusive, non-compartmentalized way. Reality always prevails, however, so we work to actualize our ideal and often enough we founder.

We need to expect these struggles, because we live in Western culture where compartmentalized, non-integrated behaviors are the norm. It’s common, for example, for people to cherish Saturday or Sunday as "their" days, freed from work, days for play or rest. There are Friday night behaviors, Saturday night behaviors, Sunday night behaviors, then Monday morning behaviors. We compartmentalize our behaviors into these different timeframes. It’s mostly how the Western world works with time.

This segmented approach to time is a challenge that we experience at Upaya. We are committed to taking these vertical behaviors that differentiate time and function and create something like a musical staff, where the lines and the spaces between the lines are one whole, continuous movement, where our daily lives of service to others and our practice are not separate from each other.

Yet getting rid of compartmentalized behaviors is not easy. We have acknowledged that all of us need “days off.” We renamed these days “personal practice days,” feeling it would be more congruent with our ethos to not think of them as an “off-day", as we asked ourselves: what is a day off? Shouldn't we be awake on all days? Yet, it wasn’t enough to discuss the issue and rename them; people slipped back into compartmentalization and differentiation. “These are my days, my time,” and the rest is “monastery time.”

But can we understand that “monastery time” is every minute we live? The vision of the circle of the way is that everything we do is practice. Underlying everything, there is a deep continuity in all our thoughts and actions and beneath our thoughts and actions. Western people find it very difficult to comprehend the continuous way. We like to separate things into pieces and take them apart. It is how science is practiced, how business is done, and how we see the world.

It’s the genius of Zen Master Dogen to bring us into seeing how we don’t have to structure our lives into cells, that instead we can experience “being” in flow, and shift our perspective on time into time-being.

For the time being stand on top of the highest peak.For the time being proceed along the bottom of the deepest ocean.For the time being three heads and eight arms.For the time being an eight- or sixteen-foot body.For the time being a staff or whisk.For the time being a pillar or lantern.For the time being the sons of shang and li.For the time being the earth and sky.

Zen Master Eihei Dogen, 1240

EXCHANGE BETWEEN ROSHI JOAN, NEUROSCIENTISTS, PHILOSOPHERS

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken. Although its light is wide and great, the moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in dewdrops on the grass,or even in one drop of water.

From Roshi Joan:Dear Al, Evan, George, John,A question that you might help me with. Clearly concentrative meditation employs attention to focus on an object. But open presence? Seems like that is awareness....... not attention........ can you help with this? Rj

From Al Kaszniak, January 14, 2009 3:17 PM MST:

Dear Roshi: The question you raise is at the heart of a broader set regarding how we shouldmap constructs regarding mental processes that come from Western psychology(which have generally not been informed by meditative practice familiarity) andthe phenomenology of meditative experience.

In describing what they term "open monitoring" (OM; as contrasted with "focusedattention" FA) meditation, Lutz, Slagter, Dunne and Davidson (2008) note thatwhile OM involves no explicit focus on objects, it does involve nonreactivemeta-cognitive monitoring. As they state, "One aims to remain only in themonitoring state, attentive moment by moment to anything that occurs inexperience without focusing on any explicit object." (p. 164). This way ofusing the term "attentive" as apparently synonymous with "aware," goes back toa historical distinction made in cognitive psychology between two different butrelated meanings of attention: "selective attention" (i.e., processes thatdetermine which of the many competing stimuli get through to consciousness) and"attentional capacity" (i.e., a hypothetical limited-capacity informationprocessing resource associated with conscious awareness of the informationbeing processed).

Although I have adopted this way of describing open monitoring meditation, I suspect that using "attention" as an umbrella term to encapsulate both "focused attention" and "metacognitive monitoring," confuses rather than clarifies. One hope is that theneurophenomenological approach, as described by Francisco and now Evan, mightlead to a refinement of cognitive/affective terminology.

Does this help at all?

love,

Al K.

From Roshi Joan, Jan 14, 1:46PM, MSTDear All, Clearly concentrative meditations employ focussed attention. But the word attention implies mental reaching; thus receptive meditation or open presence would seem not to be attentionally based, as according to Jim Austin, receptive meditation is involuntary and bottom up etc?

Your views would be helpful. Am ccing John Dunne as he might have a good perspective on this as well. From George Dreyfus, January 14, 2:34PM:Understood in this way, see below, it does not seem to be a problem to say that mindfulness meditation and other forms of receptive meditation involve attention. I do not think that attention needs to be voluntary. Objects often grab our attention in a bottom up way but still we attend to them, don't we? bests, g

“The taking possession of the mind in clear and vivid form by one out of what seem like several objects or trains of thought.”

“Attention is a cognitive system that allows preferential processing of relevant information while ignoring irrelevant or distracting information.”

From Roshi Joan, January 14, 6:04PM:Thanks, george. that is helpful. Am still trying to describe the process of mind that opens in "shikantaza" which is basically a receptive and reflective precognitive state. If you have any further thoughts or references, don't hold back. My best to you, rj

From George, January 15, 5AM:Yes, it is hard to describe. I think you would want to say that this kind of meditation is reflexive but not reflective. It is also usually described as involving a pre-reflective self-awareness. All these terms come from phenomenology, Husserl and Sartre mostly. Best, g

From Roshi Joan, Jan 15, 2009, at 7:06 AM, Mountain Time:Awareness or self-awareness? as in the state/process of shikantaza, there "seems" to be no self, ie we say: body and mind drop off. Forgive the Zen metaphors. j

From George, Jan 15, 5:09AM:Yes, but isn't there is an element of reflexivity, an element of awareness of what is going on in one's mind, though it is not reflective (it does not have a subject/object structure)...

From Roshi Joan, Jan 15, 7:03AM:Is this where we find vedana? And can one call vedana precognitive?

From George, Jan 15, 5:13AM:Vedana is one of the dimensions or qualities of this state. Vedana can be cognitive or pre-cognitive, if I understand this word. I know what is going on in my mind, and hence I am aware of various feelings or sensations, but only in a recessive way, not in a thematic way, as when I focus on my sensations in normal states. gFrom Roshi Joan, Jan 15, 7:17AM:Well, that is odd...... reflexivity without subject/object structure. Let me "think"........ there is no monitoring, as well a lack of mental adhesiveness, but one can recall the contents of the experience in retrospect. Btw, the state is relaxed but vivid. No torpor. Well, i guess i don't understand what you mean by reflexive. i need to look more deeply into the experience but also learn more what you are saying/meaning.... rj

From George, Jan 15, 6:01AM:I am just using sartre's words to describe what you capture very well: there is no monitoring but there can be recollection. This is what I mean by reflexivity, that is, pre-reflectivity.

From Roshi Joan, Jan 15, 2009, 11:01 AM:well, perhaps we can talk when next we see each other. i am stumped on the terms reflexivity and pre-reflectivity. i don't want to bore you with my ignorance of these terms. it is simply that i tend to want to be precise in describing what we experience in zen and as well to check out terminology in relation to my direct experience in practice. Already you have clarified several points. But the use of the terms above are somewhat confounding for me. alas...... i am just a zen teacher....... thanks, dear george....... we all have such busy lives and thus i appreciate your responding to my queries. Rj

From George, Jan 15, 10:16AMThe philosophical vocabulary is not necessarily transparent indeed but it can be useful at times. Look forward to talking more about this. Best, g

From Roshi Joan:Dear Al, am ccing Evan. would love his input. i think there is a distinction here. As in Zen, we emphasize the "precognitive state." But let me think about this a bit more. Your input is very helpful. and there is something here i cannot get my head around, as per my experience. Now back to sesshin....... so much love to you and ev, rj

From Evan Thompson, Jan 19, 2009, at 6:35 AM:Sorry to take so long replying to this one...

Here is my two cents worth, based on my very limited understanding:

Concentrative meditation is defined by its focus on a chosen object of attention. It leads to deep states of absorption, in which ultimately any distinction between the subject of meditation and the object of meditation is said to disappear. The Buddha is recorded as saying in the Pali Canon that there can be states of deep concentration of "infinite space," "infinite consciousness," "nothingness," and "neither perception nor non-perception."

Throughout these states, as an invariant, is the luminosity of the mind, where "luminosity" seems to be an image or metaphor for describing the sheer witnessing quality of consciousness, not dependent on any object to be witnessed. Consciousness is luminous because it discloses or reveals any object (including non-objects like nothingness) without itself being an object or object-dependent.

My understanding is that open presence and just sitting in Zen orient the practitioner towards this sheer luminosity or radiance of the mind. In which case, I think, as Roshi Joan says, we are dealing with awareness as such and not attention. According to Abhidharma, attention is an ever-present mental factor, so it presumably does not go away, but it operates within or against the background of sheer awareness.

If this is right, then "open monitoring" is not the best term, because "monitoring" suggests a kind of higher-order or executive attention. I understand that the reason for using this term is to connect to Western cognitive psychology, but "monitoring" seems to privilege one aspect of the practice and not strike at the heart of what the practice is about, namely, resting or abiding in pure awareness.

Love to you both,Evan

From John Dunne, January 23, 2009 2:19:19 PM MST:Hi, Roshi Joan.

Interesting question about the role of attention. I think that Jim is right to say that more receptive styles are comparatively bottom-up. However, one can also argue that some features of attention play an important role here. Specifically, one aspect of attention is the need to disengage from selected objects and re-orient toward a new object that is then selected. The capacity to disengage -- i.e., to not make en effort to engage with an object -- is thus an aspect of the executive control of attention. And the fact that receptive styles involve the absence of object selection suggests that they are reliant on this feature of executive control.

Likewise, receptive styles often involve a type of reflexive awareness or presence that seems closely related to the metacognitive capacity to monitor one's cognitive and affective states, and this too is a feature of attention.

In short, I think that I would be reluctant to cut attention out of the picture altogether in receptive styles of meditation. A middle road might also be to say that most practitioners have not reached the fully receptive state, and they are therefore still using attention-related features such as metacognition, even though they are not deliberately or effortfully engaging with any object.

Anyway, that's my two cents on the matter. I hope that all is going well....

J

NOTES ON BASEBALL AND DOGEN

On zazen practice;The moonabiding in the midst of serene mindBillows breakinto light

Zen Master Eihei Dogen

From RJoan:

Preparing for my dharma talk the last day of sesshin, I read a piece by David Brooks of the New York Times and thought about baseball and raising the bodhimind:

"The rules of a profession or an institution (or practice, I noted) are not like traffic regulations. They are deeply woven into the identity of the people who practice them. A teacher’s relationship to the craft of teaching, an athlete’s relationship to her sport, a farmer’s relation to her land is not an individual choice that can be easily reversed when psychic losses exceed psychic profits......The connection is more like a covenant. There will be many long periods when you put more into your institutions than you get out."

Brooks then writes about the baseball player Ryne Sandberg: "In 2005, Ryne Sandberg was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame. Heclo cites his speech as an example of how people talk when they are defined by their devotion to an institution: “I was in awe every time I walked onto the field. That’s respect. I was taught you never, ever disrespect your opponents or your teammates or your organization or your manager and never, ever your uniform. You make a great play, act like you’ve done it before; get a big hit, look for the third base coach and get ready to run the bases.”

"Sandberg motioned to those inducted before him, (his baseball ancestors) “These guys sitting up here did not pave the way for the rest of us so that players could swing for the fences every time up and forget how to move a runner over to third. It’s disrespectful to them, to you and to the game of baseball that we all played growing up.

“Respect. A lot of people say this honor validates my career, but I didn’t work hard for validation. I didn’t play the game right because I saw a reward at the end of the tunnel. I played it right because that’s what you’re supposed to do, play it right and with respect ... . If this validates anything, it’s that guys who taught me the game ... did what they were supposed to do, and I did what I was supposed to do.”

I asked myself, how do you help people to get home runs! That is raising the bodhimind.

Dogen put it this way: "How can I cause beings to enter the supreme Dharma and rapidly recognize that they are Buddha?"

Practice is not about only wishing to be free from suffering oneself. Raising the Bodhi Mind means to liberate all beings from suffering even though you are also suffering. Can we see that a Buddha is boundless compassion. We are awakened only when compassion for the suffering of other beings invites one to put aside our own liberation. Putting aside our so-called enlightenment for the sake of others is what makes our own liberation possible. If enlightenment is selflessness, then only ridding ourselves of selfishness makes enlightenment possible.

There are countless ways to raise the bodhi mind. According to Dogen: the meaning of the phrase “it is the enlightened mind which arouses the thought of enlightenment” is that one makes a stupa with a blade of grass; one makes a sutra scroll with a rootless tree; one honors the Buddha with grain of sand; one honors the Budddha with a bowl of water in which rice has been soaked. One gives a handful of food to a living being, or offers five flowers to the Tathagata. These are all forms of arousing the thought of enlightenment. Arousing the thought of enlightenment means following the encouragment of others. doing good even to the slight extent you are capable of, and bowing to the Buddha even while you are being annoyed by demons. And it is not only these. Arousing the thought of enlightenment also means knowing that your home is not your true home, leaving the home life, entering the mountains and practicing the Buddha way, and practicing with faith in a teacher or by reading the scriptures, being mindful of the Buddha, preaching the Dharma to living beings, visiting a teacher and asking questions, and sitting cross-legged, doing zazen. It is also bowing to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and repeating Homage to the Buddha.”

Dogen says "We can go through all the motions of zen and give up everything but it is what is in the heart that finally counts."

Elsewhere he says: "Once its heart is grasped, you are like the dragon when she gains the water, like the tiger when he enters the mountain."

Dogen says of Layman Pang:"Miracles are nothing other than the everyday activities of fetching water and carrying firewood."

"When a dragon enters the water and a tiger enters the mountain, they are in their true element. Likewise we enjoy our Original Nature, our true element, when we are totally engaged in zazen."Dogen considered that zazen, when "rightly practiced, was itself enlightenment," or the activity of Buddhahood.

Dogen wrote in "Jinzu", Miracles......"The six major miracles of a buddha are entering forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touchables, and objects of mind and not being confused by them. Realizing the emptiness of the six sense objects, a buddha is free of conditions."

Dogen: "A buddha practices miracles that are grounded on the earth." He gave the example of a what he considered to be a great miracle by the 8th century Layman Pang, who studied with Ma-Tsu, who said "Miracles are nothing other than the everyday activities of fetching water and carrying firewood."

Dogen: "Those who practice this are all miracle buddhas. Not abiding in these miracles is called ‘going beyond miracles.’ A Bodhisattva who goes beyond miracles does not leave traces. This is a person going beyond buddha. Going beyond Buddha is neither being attached to enlightenment or unenlightenment, moving freely between the conventional world and ultimate Truth.

BEYOND NARRATIVE: SCHOLAR'S PERSPECTIVE

Gerald VirtbauerEnter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few. (Jesus; Matthew 7:13–14)

Then Manjushri said to Vimalakirti, “Each of us has given an explanation. Now, sir, it is your turn to speak. How does the bodhisattva enter the gate of nondualism?”At that time Vimalakirti remained silent and did not speak a word.Manjushri sighed and said, “Excellent, excellent! Not a word, not a syllable – this truly is to enter the gate of nondualism!” (Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa Sūtra; trans. Watson)

Going deeper into Buddhist Consciousness Studies is an exciting task, because it is directly connected with sitting on the cushion, which is itself not divided from all other activities in daily life. What sitting and observing with an open awareness can make easier and help to clarify are the sequences of experience and processing—to put it in more psychological terms, how perception and apperception create the feeling of personality, continuity, or in general being alive.

The role language plays in processing experience is crucial and it is emphasized in the whole spectrum of Buddhist teachings and streams. In Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā—Nāgārjuna is traditionally seen as the 14th Indian patriarch of Zen (or Dhyāna) Buddhism—language is the key and at the same time the obstacle in approaching emptiness, or boundlessness. We need language to communicate in a relative sense and clarify concepts. At the same time all language based concepts are in a deeper sense empty of any inherent self-nature—i.e. they do not describe reality—and any kind of experience which is not relativized in this way leads to suffering.

Zen (or Chan) Buddhism in China developed mainly by focusing on the hindrances the mind has to cut through because of conceptualized and language centered thinking. Bodhidharma is said to have implemented four characteristics of Zen—a transmission outside of scriptures (kyōge betsuden), not based on words (furyū monji), directly pointing to the human mind (jikishi jinshin), which should lead to a realization of the innermost nature and Buddhahood (kenshō shōbutsu). What is happening when we are thinking and why is language of such importance for understanding suffering?

Bodhidharma is also associated with the Laṅkāvātara Sūtra, from a psychological perspective one of the most important Indian Mahāyāna Sūtras which D. T. Suzuki explored intensely and translated for the first time from the original Sanskrit. His studies in the Laṅkāvātara are still of great importance—as well scholarly as from a practice point of view. The Laṅkāvātara is said to have been the main Sūtra for Bodhidharma’s understanding of Zen (or Dhyāna) and one of the foundational texts of the tradition.

The Laṅkāvātara provides a fascinating account into how the processing of perception can be understood in a relational context. The basic idea is that there is a connecting consciousness faculty which is the base of all experience—the so called “store-house consciousness” (ālayavijñāna). Our natural way of apperception arise out of this relational quality but is usually immediately filtered through other faculties—in the Laṅkāvātara these are called manas (thinking) and manovijñāna (thought recognition). Manas and manovijñāna are built on how we have learned to tackle experience and therefore to a large extent language based. Pure relational experience is in this way deformed into a constructed scheme of descriptive patterns which are the result of our collective and personal history—our karma. Suzuki writes about the pure act of perception (khyāti) in his studies: “Khyāti, from khya, means “to perceive,” “to manifest,” and this function of the Vijñāna is to perceive or to reflect things that appear before it just as the mirror reflects all forms before it. This is the function of the Ālaya.” If we get access to this quality in experience all our language based self-descriptions of being are dissolved into a quality beyond narrative.

This quality is without any division or distinction, a direct access into the innermost nature of consciousness itself. In the Laṅkāvātara it is described with the concept of tathāgatagarbha (womb of the thus-come (Buddha); a synonym of Buddha-nature). Human experience is embedded in the natural rhythm of nature, arises out of this rhythm and reveals the rhythm itself.

The picture shows the Buddha accepting rice after changing from the practice of tapas (self-mortification) to a more moderate way of asceticism. The middle way in Buddhism is a manifestation of a relational quality in life which is always present—it is about embeddedness in the beauty of life and fostering this beauty in all its aspects. Qualities as joy, happiness, or equanimity can only flourish if we overcome the shell of the personal narrative and crack open to the interdependent truth of experience. Serving oryoki during a sesshin is a wonderful way to experience this non-distinction. There is no division between the server, the food, and the receiver. All is embedded in a deeper quality beyond words—life itself.

THIS WEEK AT UPAYA

Please arrive 5 minutes early for sitting periods and events. Park in the East parking lot (the 2nd driveway, furthest from town).

WAYS TO BE AT UPAYA

Original Face:Flowers in springCuckoos in summerMoon in autumnSnow in winter Serene and coolZen Master Eihei Dogen, 1247 Kamakura

There are many ways to be at Upaya... come for a personal retreat, volunteer your time, or apply for our Path of Service Program.

Path of Service: Live in a practice community for three months to a year in the historic east valley of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Enjoy and learn from the opportunity to receive teachings from Roshi Joan, Sensei Beate and many other extraordinary teachers; hear weekly seminars and dharma talks; attend dokusan and retreats, and experience the deep joy of living in community. Spring needs include people who love to cook and garden. Click here for more information: http://www.upaya.org/about/path-of-service.php

Personal Retreat/Guest Practitioner: Quiet, still, peaceful -- Upaya is a special place in February with intimate rooms, kiva fireplaces and breathtaking views. Spend some time here and find your own rhythm. To learn more about enjoying a peronal retreat at Upaya or coming as a guest practitioner, call 505-986-8518 X12 or visit: http://www.upaya.org/programs/being-at-upaya.php

Volunteer at our front desk, kitchen, or in housekeeping. Our volunteer program is intended for people who wish to help Upaya in exchange for retreat participation; it is non-residential. A $10.00 hourly rate is credited for your work, and a maximum of 80% of the tuition may be earned and must be earned in advance of the event. Contact Roberta 505 986 8518, ext 12 or registrar@upaya.org

Photo of Wael by Roshi Joan

UPCOMING PROGRAMS:

"Are there not these cases? Enlightenment in the voice of the bamboo. Radiance of heart in the peach blossom."Zen Master Eihei Dogen

February 22: Zazenkai A day-long silent meditation retreat provides us with the experience of deep periods of uninterrupted meditation, led by Sensei Beate Genko Stolte. For more information and to register: http://www.upaya.org/programs/event.php?id=176

March 13-15: Fundraising from the Heart with Lynne Twist, Roshi Joan Halifax This workshop, taught by one of the leading experts on philanthropy, equips non-profit leaders with the skills needed to transform fund development efforts. We examine the sacred art and science of fundraising and develop a new ability to raise funds from and for the heart of your organization’s mission. For more information and to register: http://www.upaya.org/programs/event.php?id=179

Jul 14, 2009 — Aug 04, 2009: Mongolia with Thomas Kelly and Carroll DunhamMonasteries and nomads, horses and yurts, wide, green grasslands and mountains, lakes and deep quiet: Mongolia, a frontier of the heart, a place for practice and renewal. This is a extraordinary place for practitioners and families-- for writers or artists, meditators and yogis or those who love to read and soak in quiet wilderness. Led by Carroll Dunham, anthropologist, writer, documentary filmmaker and director of Wild Earth and Thomas Kelly, renowned professional photographer and documentary filmmaker.For more information and to register: http://www.upaya.org/programs/event.php?id=257

Thursday, January 29, a joyful day for Rakushin, Doshin, and Ray, as these three sangha members went through Tokudo, Novice priest ordination. Many friends gathered in Upaya's Circle of the Way Temple for the ancient ceremony presided over by Roshi Joan Halifax and Sensei Beate Stolte. Ray, who turned eighty years old a few days ago, has been practicing Zen for over thirty years. His wife, daughter and son, plus many of their close friends, attended the ceremony. Doshin Patrick Rentsch, a researcher from Switzerland, has practiced with Roshi for many years and is a close friend of the sangha. Shakti Rakushin is Sensei Beate's first ordainee, and a devoted student of Sensei's. It was an extraordinary clear day in Santa Fe and a powerful gathering of the sangha. Congratulations to all!

The Schlesinger Library of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University has asked Roshi Joan that it be the repository for a comprehensive collection of her papers, including correspondence, photographs, all of her writings, her memoirs, and all papers related for her life and work.

The film about Roshi's Nomads Clinic produced by Tussi Kluge and shot by Sara Neeson will be shown at the International Social Action Film Festival. It will be included in upcoming festivals, launching in Februrary in venues all around the world. To view the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR3wDIQGXJE

Please see the beautiful new Upaya Institute website: http://www.upaya.org/bwd/ This website is for those who are interested in the Professional Training Program on Contemplative End-of-Life Care; it contains articles, news, training programs, audio and video programs, and will be enriched with important materials over the next months.

ENGAGED BUDDHISM

Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe.Zen Master Eihei Dogen

MINDFULNESS MUST BE ENGAGED: There are so many ways we can serve our communities. Please click for information on Upaya's service programs on caring for the sick and those in prison, as well as an important local program for homeless people. Here are pathways for you to engage in:

Compassionate Friends at Upaya: Are you interested in providing service to people who are experiencing an illness, and also as the end of life approaches?

Support is provided in peoples homes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and hospitals. Being a volunteer with Compassionate Friends is a rewarding way to offer service and to be part of a supportive group of volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds and life experience. Email Jean Wilkins - jean@upaya.org for an application form.

Metta Refuge Council:Tuesday, 10:30 a.m., a meeting for people who are ill, their caregivers, hospice volunteers, nurses, and those interested in exploring issues around sickness, aging and death. Beginning around 12:05 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. the group engages in contemplative writing as a way to explore what is present for people in the moment. No writing experience is needed. For information jean@upaya.org. For details: http://www.upaya.org/action/caring.php

The Upaya Prison Project serves prisons residents at Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center and the Penitentiary of New Mexico. Several new volunteers are starting training to work “inside”, teach stress management through meditation, simple yoga, and confidential conversation in a protected place. The course includes a section on anger management and on healing through accepting responsibility for offenses, feeling remorse and making amends for the offense which occasioned incarceration. The residents very much enjoy the classes. More volunteers are needed to teach life skills and social skills. If this interests you, email Ray Olson at nanrayols@aol.com.

Through the Pen-Pal Program, prison residents anywhere in the U.S. can exchange regular correspondence with a volunteer experienced in meditation. The allows both the resident and the volunteer to share their spiritual journey in meditation practice. We are in need of volunteers willing to undertake this service. If you are interested, please contact Jim Dunn at jamesmdunn@earthlink.net. Right now we have ten hopeful residents on the list waiting for volunteers to step forward. Please consider helping us in this manner.

Please help support our projects by making a donation to Upaya Zen Center for the Metta Program or Upaya Prison Project. We are deeply grateful for any donation.

LATEST DHARMA AUDIO PODCAST

Roshi Joan looks at the practice aspects of a Bodhisattva servant-leader and of President Obama. By looking at “what is needed,” we practice discernment in current events in politics and in our everyday lives.

ROSHI JOAN HALIFAX

Roshi's new book, Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death can be ordered from Amazon. The book is a powerful exploration of nearly 40 years of contemplative work with dying people.

CDs• Roshi's new book, Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death can be ordered from Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/6dzyu7

• Roshi Joan's 6-CD series on Being with Dying (from Sounds True Audio) is now available. Call 505-986-8518 to order or email: upaya@upaya.org

Photo of Roshi walking in Kham, Tibet, by Kam Sung

Before Sokei-an came to America, when he was just beginning his study of Zen, his teacher arranged a meeting for him with Soyen Shaku.The master, having heard he was a wood carver, asked, "How long have you been studying art?""Six years," replied Sokei-an."Carve me a Buddha," said Soyen Shaku.Sokei-an returned a couple of weeks later with a wooden statue of the Buddha."What's this?" exclaimed Shaku, and threw it out the window into a pond.It seemed unkind, Sokei-an would later explain, but it was not: "He'd meant for me to carve the Buddha in myself."

Soyen Shaku, the first Zen teacher to come to America, said: “My heart burns like fire but my eyes are as cold as dead ashes.“ The following are rules that he practiced every day of his life.

In the morning before dressing, light incense and meditate.Retire at a regular hour. Partake of food at regular intervals. Eat with moderation and never to the point of satisfaction.Receive a guest with the same attitude you have when alone. When alone, maintain the same attitude you have in receiving guests.Watch what you say, and whatever you say, practice it.When an opportunity comes do not let it pass by, yet always think twice before acting.Do not regret the past. Look to the future.Have the fearless attitude of a hero and the loving heart of a child.Upon retiring, sleep as if you had entered your last sleep. Upon awakening, leave your bed behind you instantly as if you had ca st away a pair of old shoes.